<p>Hi,
As an international student applyng from england, how is the campus life and is it easy to make friends and talk to people.
Also im suprised they dont offer single freshman rooms, in england everyone gets there own room and bathroom.
Also im quite sporty i play football and american football would it be hard to get into teams - i know americans take their college sports pretty seriously
thanks matthew</p>
<p>Campus life: It’s what you make it. If you’re in the dorms and you want to make friends, you’ll find friends. Just say hi. In the first couple weeks in the dorms, get your roommate to go around knocking on doors and saying hello around your floor. Leave your door open so people can come visit. Whatever, the usual tips. If you want friends, you can find friends.</p>
<p>Singles: Honestly, unless you’ve got special needs, are an RA, or get a room in the Martinez Apartments (upper div only, and unlikely even then), you don’t get a single. You’ll have to learn to live with people, sorry. Even in the apartments you don’t get your own bathroom. But if the idea of sharing a bathroom with your entire floor is too weird, look into a suite or mini-suite… then it’ll be one bathroom for you and 3-5 other students (your roommates/suitemates).</p>
<p>Sports: Dunno. Are you looking at official school teams only?</p>
<p>I will try to compare Berkeley and my alma mater uni in the UK, Cambridge.</p>
<p>Our facilities at Girton College in Cambridge is superb. I occupied a single-bed room and my college has its own library and sports and recreational facilities on its own. (Every college in Cambridge has its own kind of facilities, too.) So, in my opinion, in terms of housing, Cambridge has so much advantages compared to Berkeley’s. </p>
<p>When it comes to sports facilities, Berkeley has better, though you’d probably feel its cramped due to having more students. At Cambridge, each college has its own sports facility. It’s usually smaller but student-friendly – every student would not have to line up to be able to use it. But Cambridge doesn’t have sports facilities that would cater to large participants and spectators all at one time. For example, Cambridge doesn’t have a stadium whilst Berkeley has the newly renovated, California Memorial Stadium, which is massive and spectacular. [California</a> Golden Bears - University of California Official Athletic Site](<a href=“http://www.calbears.com/]California”>http://www.calbears.com/)</p>
<p>UK unis don’t have a thriving sports league like they have in the US. Harvard is in the Ivy League. And, Berkeley is a member of the Big 10 where it competes with Stanford and 8 other large universities. Cambridge’s only competitive and thriving team is rowing, where it has an annual competition with Oxford, called, the Boat Race. [The</a> Boat Race - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia](<a href=“http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Boat_Race]The”>The Boat Race - Wikipedia)</p>
<p>So, in that sense, I guess the two universities spent their budget for sports in different directions perhaps due to having a different sports goal. Cambridge sports are mostly for leisure. Berkeley’s sports are geared for competition. If you’re into sports because you want to compete in the Olympics, Berkeley will serve you that better. But, not all students at Berkeley compete in a highly-competitive level, so I’m guessing some facilities would not be open for them.</p>
<p>It is widely known that British are snobs. But my experience at Cambridge is far from that - everyone there is friendly and respectful. I made a lot of friends during my time there, not just British, but almost all races in the world. I made friends practically from all continents of the world, save for Antarctica. </p>
<p>Academic-wise, both are probably intense, but Cambridge is more personal in approach. When it comes to environment, I like Cambridge’s more as it is ancient, rustic but enchanting. However, Berkeley has a much better weather - almost perfect the whole year round. Cambridge’s sky is often grey save for summer season, and that may affect your mood sometimes. Berkeley has also the more beautiful landscape, and you get the view of San Francisco across the Bay. Though I love Cambridge City, and I think it offers a distinct appeal, I think the Bay Area is special. </p>
<p>opportunities-wise, both will get you places. Though, generally, Berkeley for US jobs (gives you an advantage in the Bay Area, Silicon Valley, Wall Street, LA, etc), and Cambridge in Europe and Africa. I guess, both are very strong names in Asia.</p>